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现代西方文化很受希腊文化的影响（在美国好像较少）。当代希腊，是充满哲学童话寓言艺术的空间（向往），看了雅典奥运会的震撼到今天还是意犹未尽。有时间我们去希腊透气吧，看人回来气质会不会好一点。

是啊。希臘文化可以說是西方文明的起始。但是演變到今天，有句英文竟然說：「It's all Greek to me.」
（大意是：「我搞不懂這是什麼意思。」）

若你用心留意，你會發現我們現在的生活竟然都擺不脫希臘的影子，你才會知道它的恐怖。

丟開最令人津津樂道的希臘神話及哲學不談，我們從教科書到時尚名牌，都要忍不住用那句最俗氣的：我們的天空很希臘。

人家說，我們傲人的五千年中華文化跟現今當行其道的西方文化最大的不同，就是缺乏起源于希臘哲學的邏輯理性，大家又有何看法呢？

"It's all Greek to me."

Basically this saying draws an analogy of the strange-looking Greek alphabets to the subject concerned. How many of you can write or read out all the Greek alphabets in any order? I'm sure you get the point now. Once I was teased by a blood lab technician while working on some code, he asked in a jovial tone, "You're writing Greek, huh?" Well, actually it's an object-oriented DB language consists of Arab numerals and Latin scripts and symbols; not even a single Greek letter. Crying out loud.

The modern world we have now pretty much inherit from the ancient Greeks. I don't have problem living in the shadow of the Greeks. In fact I feel safe in that shade, I enjoy the atmosphere of wittiness, of urbanity, and benefit much from its secular outlook. Seeing lots eager to be Hebrews or Arabs or Indians scares the hell out of me.

"我們的天空很希臘"

This line, modified and worn-out, originates from "今夜的天空很希臘" in a poem by 余光中, my once-upon-a-time-favorite poet, and someone's perpetual nemesis...here....hehe. See, again I use an allusion of Greek myth. Oh, our world is so Greek. It scares you, huh?

And we don't have another five thousand years to waste. So, we shall hone our thinking using logic and reason.

"现代西方文化很受希腊文化的影响（在美国好像较少）。"

You ever heard of the Greek system of faternity and sorority in American colleges. Do you know some cities in the U.S. are named after the ancient Greek city-states?


P.S. I have a miniature statue of Nike as shown in the picture.

C: Name a few of them for me? Pity my lack of knowledge. ^^

Can we still smell a Chinese man on you?

Wan: 有说中国人有太多的文化太少的整合，所以老说不出个所以然。不知是不是外国的东西就会比较顺眼，老瞧着这些希腊艺术产物就是觉得中国的东西少了这种味道。是浪漫吗？

希腊人不知怎么看中国人。听说很多中国暴发户到欧洲时成了很惹人嫌的典范。Hah?不过可能只是过渡期。毕竟中国是先强国在富国，封闭太久了。暂时还不是到中国吃西餐的时候。

不知为何，身为炎黄子孙，我老人家一直在担心北京奥运会的开幕礼。玩得不失本色（对自我文化的反省）且不露匠器，你说这样要求会不会太高？

那天有份报道，说中国留学生和大马留学生一起煮饭的趣事。大马学生当然对他们随便煮都那么高水准叹为观止，而对方对我们吃火锅吃个不亦乐乎，好奇之余，颇觉得委屈了味蕾。文化耶？还是不知简单的快乐为何物？

对，就是这种简单的快乐。我喜欢希腊人这点不简单的简单。

剛才跟一個中國的網友聊起他的美國的生活，他說：这里读书是个好地方，但是生活没劲。

還給我看一篇文章：

http://news.wenxuecity.com/BBSView.php?SubID=news&MsgID=32392

我記得之前他很嚮往去美國的生活。
但他現在卻告訴我：这里混个学位而已，以后准备回中国的。

被碗丢到另一只鸟,

The cities/towns named Athens can be found in the State of Alabama, Georgia, Illinois, California, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. Cities/towns named after Athens' arch-rival state, Sparta, can also be found in Georgia, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Wisconsin. Even one American state adopted a Greek island name -- Rhodes. And throughout the U.S., you can find residential areas called Arcadia, Cypruss, and some other Greek names. Nonetheless using Greek names is rather superficial as a true indicator of appreciating Hellenic culture, but I doubt European countries, the birthplace and aftermath of nationalism, ever or would follow this trend. Today's Europe, albeit clumped together with volatile city-state-alliance reminiscent of ancient Greece, is simply, jadedly, tragically too old to be Greek anymore.

"Can we still smell a Chinese man on you?"

Why not? My "narrow-mindedness" is pretty much a Chinese trait. Sometimes I even suspect myself of having the mindset of Confucian intellectuals of bygone days. My command of the Chinese language may not be superb, but it is on the same par with most of the well-versed folks here. I think and write in English because I want to put myself outside the system, receiving firsthand knowledge, reaching a wider audience?! I'm could be even more Chinese than you are...seriously.

"听说很多中国暴发户到欧洲时成了很惹人嫌的典范"

There are plenty of white trashy tourists lording over our land too. These backpackers, maybe working as burger flippers in their nativeland or being on their way towards six feet under, can be as snobish as some princes and princesses of some fallen dynasty. Rude people are everywhere, from everywhere. That's globalization.

C:That means the next time I'm in US I shall be very clear on the airport on which Athens or Spartan I wan to visit. A Malay courier once asked me which KL do I mean when I tried to send a parcel.

Oh dear don't be more of a Chineseman than u r now, then. I now have to carry a dictionary with me everytime I come to the blog, u know, just in case I will into someone...^^

I will hate myself if I have to carry a version of the book in Chinese too. So seriously I think let's leave the 文言文 and the rest of ur Chinese counterpart alone for a while.

Sometimes you rather remind me of 罗大佑, no offence. He is not an icon nowadays but I do remember the once when he was every 文化青年's idol.

Which part of US or Europe or Aussie have u been to? Like what u saw?

Wan: "若你用心留意，你會發現我們現在的生活竟然都擺不脫希臘的影子，你才會知道它的恐怖。"

文明（闻名）那么久的东西，我们怎么可能会见不到它的影踪？中国的影子也无处不在呀。在大马的我们，是件染了超多色的Batik。有时候，发现国外认得我们的方法是马来服装。穿旗袍是中国人的象征不是大马华人的。所以，我们是“马来西亚华裔”离唐山很远了。而我们的文化特征是什么？Sepet吗？历来资源丰富的国家大都是大文明大文化的发源地。莫非我们都离那时代太远了？

这样不太废，所以呵呵不再说。

抛个问题给你。

有个文章的标题是：“平面化的美丽新世界”。

http://www.allworldchinese.com/qt/xdgs.htm

作者认为，自从达文西以平面虚拟了立体后，虚拟战胜了真实：立体中没有虚拟的平面。从此一直到如今的电影照片网络，人们再也没有从平面出来过。现代人行路易，但他们不行万里路，近则汽车，远则飞机。

"汽车上的现代人通过反视镜，把城市看作一个近乎虚幻的平面；飞机上的现代人透过云层，把大地也看作一个近乎虚幻的平面。现代人更不读书，他们看照片看电影看电视上网络，进入电脑虚拟空间。"这有点与蔡明亮导演的疏离调调相似。作者是说现代人掉入了平面的二维世界好长一段时间都没出来过了。他是觉得现代人缺乏活力，还是缺乏创造力？

"Sometimes you rather remind me of 罗大佑, no offence."

I'm baffled...well, once I liked him too (now hate him very much!), he was so great back then, I can never attain what he had achieved. But I'm flattered to be likened to someone ONCE so smart, thoughtful and talented ;)

I'd been in the west coast of the US. It's a nice place, though no paraside, but much nicer than any place I ever lived in. I wish to visit Europe someday.

And actually I don't yearn to be more Chinese than I am now. I don't cling to much of the tradition, real or imaginary, to retain the last shred of Chineseness.

"文明（闻名）那么久的东西，我们怎么可能会见不到它的影踪？"

Your abc evolved from Greek letters ;) Hope you get some iota of idea.

"历来资源丰富的国家大都是大文明大文化的发源地。"

Greece and Persia were arid back then as they are now, not sure how you gonna explain their rise to superpower. In China the land suitable for agriculture is also quite limited. It's the predatory nature that drives us to be more efficient and powerful. The late 19th century imperial Japan serves as the best example.

And we don't have to 穿旗袍 to show our Chineseness. The good sense of practicality passed on from our ancestors is the most valuable thing. 旗袍 is a chic hopelessly cultivated to salvage the lost Chineseness from the ever-increasing modernization and globalization, just as vain as the attempt to revamp the Chinese religion.

C: "The good sense of practicality passed on from our ancestors is the most valuable thing."

Chineseman will always be chineseman no matter where they are.现实could be a great trait in human beings. That's probably the best way for survival sometimes.

But I think the best attire for Chineseman now is money.

作爲華人，我只是單純的喜歡！我很慶幸自己是一個華人，可以很自然的、義無反顧的學習著我們那超過五千年的文化、歷史！
套一句老話，它是博大精深的，同時我卻認爲它是浪漫的！
我們也有很多的神話：誇父逐日、女媧補天等，也有類似童話的故事：十二生肖、龍的傳説等！
記得讀過一些西方著作，談到東方和西方的不同，說西方把世界分割了，把每一樣分開來研究，強調獨立性；東方把自然和一切融合了，強調整個環境的協調！
近來好多作家、觀察家認爲許多問題、偏激作風等都是過於強調獨立性，以爲只要把某事做好就結束了，其實引發的後遺症正原自把事情個別化了！
不是說我們的文化比較好，只是應該相互為用吧！希望好的東西能夠源遠流長啊！